Ciarrocca - Pay Cut

Like it. More coordinators should have lower base pay and goal incentives.
 

Like it. More coordinators should have lower base pay and goal incentives.

Agreed. You beat me to the punch. We don't know what the incentives could be. Plus, in a situation where a coordinator left in the past, an "earn out" with incentives makes a lot of sense.
 

I don’t know how you pay him (slightly) less than Sanford. That’s insulting, and could create underlying tension. Yes, it’s still a lot of money but everything is relative. Would any of you want to be paid at a lower rate than a coworker you know is a fraud or not pulling their weight?

Pay the man. He’s a proven commodity. Claw back game checks for BG, IL.
You think a guy who could’ve gone to any number of places or stay where he is at is already bitter about a contract he agrees to two days ago?
 


This is just a guess because the terms of KC's Penn State contract aren't public information, but when he left the U he had two years left on his contract which would have paid him $1M in both '20 and '21. Presumably he didn't move for less money or a shorter term contract. Under those circumstances, it's quite possible that his PSU contract was for at least three years. The PSU AD confirmed at the time of his dismissal that he had a "multi-year" contract with a mitigation clause. His contract likely obligated PSU to pay him the remaining amount owed, but also required KC to seek comparable employment and provided that his pay at a new job would reduce what PSU owed him.

If he's still making $1M+ in '22 under the terms of the Penn State contract, then it doesn't hurt him at all to take a low end of the range amount from the U and it has the added benefits of making the budget easier for the U and sticking it a bit to the school that fired him after only one year. If the Penn State contract would have expired after the '22 season, then U could renegotiate/extend him after next year. If the PSU contract had another year on it, they could wait until after this contract to give him a raise and reap the benefits of his PSU contract for another year.
 


This is just a guess because the terms of KC's Penn State contract aren't public information, but when he left the U he had two years left on his contract which would have paid him $1M in both '20 and '21. Presumably he didn't move for less money or a shorter term contract. Under those circumstances, it's quite possible that his PSU contract was for at least three years. The PSU AD confirmed at the time of his dismissal that he had a "multi-year" contract with a mitigation clause. His contract likely obligated PSU to pay him the remaining amount owed, but also required KC to seek comparable employment and provided that his pay at a new job would reduce what PSU owed him.

If he's still making $1M+ in '22 under the terms of the Penn State contract, then it doesn't hurt him at all to take a low end of the range amount from the U and it has the added benefits of making the budget easier for the U and sticking it a bit to the school that fired him after only one year. If the Penn State contract would have expired after the '22 season, then U could renegotiate/extend him after next year. If the PSU contract had another year on it, they could wait until after this contract to give him a raise and reap the benefits of his PSU contract for another year.
Great, let's pay Kirk $1 this year. Thanks for picking up the tab, PSU!
 

I don’t know how you pay him (slightly) less than Sanford. That’s insulting, and could create underlying tension. Yes, it’s still a lot of money but everything is relative. Would any of you want to be paid at a lower rate than a coworker you know is a fraud or not pulling their weight?

Pay the man. He’s a proven commodity. Claw back game checks for BG, IL.
that's what happens when your seniority starts over
 

Great, let's pay Kirk $1 this year. Thanks for picking up the tab, PSU!
Yeah, that probably wouldn't fly under the contract if PSU challenged it. That would be why they signed him to a two-year deal and are paying him a low, but within the realm of reasonable, contract given what a Big Ten OC gets paid. If KC had to defend it as a legitimate salary, he could with a straight face.
 

Three jobs in three years might not get you much leverage.
 




I don’t know how you pay him (slightly) less than Sanford. That’s insulting, and could create underlying tension. Yes, it’s still a lot of money but everything is relative. Would any of you want to be paid at a lower rate than a coworker you know is a fraud or not pulling their weight?

Pay the man. He’s a proven commodity. Claw back game checks for BG, IL.
Well it's pretty clear Sanford was way overpaid!
 


$625K is definitely HIGHER than what he was getting at WVU, so we just had to beat that pay and not worry about beating what he was making with us back in 2019 or 2020 with PSU.

If PJ didn’t hire him, he may still be making $350K at WVU. Bet you $625K is a good increase for him 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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Fleck must be a persuasive guy. "Come on back to the job you left two years ago. I'll pay you roughly the same amount you're making at your current job, which is almost four hundred thousand dollars less than you were scheduled to earn here before you left."

Was Ciarrocca desperately unhappy at WVA?
Remember. If he is all that good. No one was knocking in his door …. He was a analyst for West Virginia. Fired from Penn state after 1 year. Do you ask why ? What are we getting ?
 

Very interesting. First, that salary allows more money to be spread around the staff...money that was added during PJ's extension. Second, I think it shows a hunger from Ciarrocca to get back to being an OC again and shows that tension between PJ and him wasn't solved with a check. I think a lot of us look at Ciarrocca as near the end of the line, but he's only 56. Nebraska just hired a 65 year old OC today. Kirk could easily hold the job for a decade if he performs at/above 2019 levels.
 

If Ciarrocca is as good at running an offense as I think he is, this two year contract should expand quickly into 7 figures when the offense improves. Otherwise history will repeat itself with KC departing for a job out east again (this time for money instead of primarily for family proximity).
 




He is also a co-OC now too, right? I'm sure a portion of that salary is now going towards Matt Simon.
 

There never was a 2nd co-OC. Only ever had the one co-OC.

Yep.
 


1. Very well deserved by Rossi.

2. I find it interesting that a BOR Consent Report explicitly states where a defensive coordinator’s salary ranks in the conference.
 

1. Very well deserved by Rossi.

2. I find it interesting that a BOR Consent Report explicitly states where a defensive coordinator’s salary ranks in the conference.
1. Agreed.

2. They probably include it with the other comparative analysis because they know someone will ask at the meeting.
 


Most people wouldn't take the risk to be a full-time football coach so those that do and are successful get rewarded. Nothing wrong with that. For every one Kirk, there are 100 former graduate assistants that went on to become insurance agents.
And you think they would somehow be something more if they didn't chase their football dream?
 

And you think they would somehow be something more if they didn't chase their football dream?
They wouldn't have "wasted" the ages of 25-35 not furthering their career. I really don't think it's a waste, but starting your career at 35 instead of 25 will cost (on average) people a LOT of money.

On average, if he would have gotten into the insurance game at 25, he'd make more money every year of their life until (if ever) they hit their peak. I don't think it's a waste, but it is certainly a substantial financial risk.
 




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